By Mariz Peñaflor
1. When we do not obey the Lord
Genesis 4: 3-5
“3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of
the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat
portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on
Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with
favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.”
- Cain is the first-born son. However,
because of despising the Lord by giving him just excesses of his crops, the
Lord did not accept his Offering. On the other hand, the Lord accepted Abel,
then his offering.
- What we must notice here is the
construction “the Lord looked with favor on Abel”, then, “and his offering”. It
shows that Abel’s life was pleasing to the Lord first, that’s why he was able
to present an acceptable offering to the Lord.
Now, what did Cain do
after this?
Genesis 4: 6-12
“6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is
your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if
you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have
you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the
field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed
him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your
brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse
and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s
blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its
crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.””
- Instead of changing his wrong
ways, Cain, because of his jealousy towards his brother, he killed him. He let
his one sin lead to another.
- Now, in verse 9, the Lord gave
Cain a chance to repent by confessing his crime, but what did Cain answered?
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” This is an expression of hate for Abel and being
unrepentant of his crime.
- Because of not repenting, the
Lord cursed Cain.
2. Another example of how we lose our position
as a Christian is Esau’s actions.
Genesis 25:29-34
“29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from
the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of
that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom)
31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the
birthright to me?”
33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath
to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He
ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.”
- Esau doesn’t give importance to
his birthright, that’s why he just surrendered it for just a bowl of soup.
- We as Christians, if we allow
temporary happiness to make us fall into sin, then that means that we don’t
care about our salvation like Esau.
That is why the Lord gave it to
Jacob, who is so determined to find the will of God and be blessed by the Lord.
Genesis 27: 18-37
“18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”
“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I
have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you
may give me your blessing.”
20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my
son?”
“The LORD your God gave me success,” he replied.
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you,
my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”
22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and
said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother
Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” he replied.
25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat,
so that I may give you my blessing.”
Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine
and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss
me.”
27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the
smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,
“Ah,
the smell of my son
is
like the smell of a field
that
the LORD has blessed.
28
May God give you heaven’s dew
and
earth’s richness—
an
abundance of grain and new wine.
29
May nations serve you
and
peoples bow down to you.
Be
lord over your brothers,
and
may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May
those who curse you be cursed
and
those who bless you be blessed.”
30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely
left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too
prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My
father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your
blessing.”
32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”
“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”
33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then,
that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I
blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a
loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”
35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your
blessing.”
36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob[a]? This is the
second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s
taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”
37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and
have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain
and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?””
- We all know that Jacob deceived
his brother upon Rebekah’s command. However, it is actually allowed by God
because in the event prior to this, Esau has already despised his birthright
that’s why the Lord is determined to give it to Jacob who consider it very
precious.
- Why did Rebekah command Jacob to
do so? Because when she was about to give birth in Genesis 25:23, the Lord has
given her a prophecy that the older will serve the younger brother. And so,
Rebekah only fulfilled it.
3. Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, also
despised his birthright when he disrespected his father.
Genesis 35: 22
“22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in
and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it.”
- Because of this, the Lord gave it
to Joseph who is a God-fearing man. In fact, in one occasion when Joseph was
already sold by his brothers to slavery, the wife of his master Photiphar
lusted for him, Joseph in his respect for God, run away from temptation.
Genesis 39:7-15
“7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph
and said, “Come to bed with me!”
8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my
master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns
he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My
master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How
then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she
spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with
her.
11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties,
and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak
and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out
of the house.
13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and
had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she
said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came
in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help,
he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.””
- If we will continue reading the
life of Joseph, we will realize how much he reveres God. He refused to sin and
even forgave the wrongs of his brothers, because he understands that everything
that has happened to him is part of the will of God. In Genesis chapter 50: 15-21, it was written,
“15 When Joseph’s brothers saw
that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against
us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to
Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This
is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins
and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the
sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to
him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and
threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t
be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God
intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many
lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.”
And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”
Conclusion:
We must realize that receiving the
opportunity to be saved can still be lost if we do not give importance to it.
We must guard it and mot let any temptation to make us fall into sin.
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